Everyone Is Running For Everything In Iowa In 2018

Just as reliably as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, not a week goes by in Iowa politics without a new candidate running for this or that major office. Iowa Democrats have about 22 declared or strongly-considering candidates for governor and the three Republican-held congressional districts. The field for every race has continued to grow this summer, though we may be finally nearing the end of the announcement phase.

It’s an interesting parallel to the huge, 17-candidate Republican presidential primary field in 2016. Out of power for a while now, there’s fewer influential power-brokers or individual factions that can narrow the field behind the scenes. There’s also simply a greater desire to run for office in reaction to the all-Republican government in Iowa and the national level, as well as a sense that 2018 could be a good year for Democrats if Trump’s legislation and personal missteps cause an electoral backlash.

Starting Line thought it would be helpful to put together a full list of everyone who has declared their candidacy, is in the exploratory phase, or who is strongly considering it. I’ll update this post best I can as situations change.

And on a side note: It has become challenging to cover this many candidates. Typically I do a profile piece on most of the major contenders for key offices, rolled out as they announce. Those posts take a lot of time as I try to take extra care with a story that describes in-depth a person’s life story. It’s been difficult to get those done and also cover events and breaking Iowa news – those stories may be shorter now and I’m making tough decisions on who to cover. Things should get easier once the announcement phase of 2018 is finished.

And now, here’s the list of the candidates, announced and considering, for major Iowa offices in 2018:

Shoot me an email if I forgot someone or you have an update. Also: I am only including people who have shown some sort of tangible activity, either in public or behind the scenes: setting up websites, attending many events, talking with donors, prospecting for staff, filing official papers, etc.

7 thoughts on “Everyone Is Running For Everything In Iowa In 2018”

Say, Pat;
I’m certain that, by now, most of us are able to put a face with the names, but (I know it’s a lift for you) would it be possible to take those photos at the head of the article and associate them with names on your list as a sort of refresher?
Thanks for your hard work and your compilations!

Other potential candidates that were mentioned in news reports before were Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz, Clinton County Auditor Eric Van Lancker and Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald for secretary of state, Matt McCoy for IA-03, and Chris Hall for governor. Did they all decide not to run, or are any still considering? Also, Nathan Blake was considering running for secretary of state before but decided not to run.

Also, are any candidates considering running for agriculture commissioner? And are Tom Miller and Mike Fitzgerald still expected to run for re-election?